A news helicopter covering the aftermath of a separate fatal collision crashed in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, on Tuesday evening, killing two veteran crew members from NBC4 and Telemundo 52. The incident, which occurred just before 7 p.m. in a parking lot near a storage business, claimed the lives of 38-year-old aerial journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. The tragedy unfolded as NBC4 veteran anchor Robert Kovacik was reporting live from the scene, visibly overcome with grief as he processed the loss of his long-time colleagues.
"You think about it ladies, as we deal with this day of dueling tragedies here in Chatsworth, we were just getting ready to come on air for the NBC 4 news at 7:00 tonight and we were there,”" Robert Kovacik, NBC4 Anchor.
The helicopter, identified as NewsChopper4, had been dispatched to document the fallout from an earlier collision between a Metro bus and an SUV. That initial incident had already resulted in the death of 29-year-old Edy Gutierrez Mejia. The subsequent helicopter crash brought the immediate area into a state of shock and mourning, particularly for the local media community. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has since launched an investigation to determine the cause of the helicopter’s abrupt descent.
Robert Kovacik, a reporter with more than two decades of experience at NBC4, was on the ground near the wreckage when the gravity of the situation became apparent. Cameras captured his distress as he sat inside a police vehicle, dabbing tears from his eyes. Kovacik had worked alongside both Moreno and Marciniw for many years, making the loss deeply personal. Despite his visible emotional state, he proceeded with his live broadcast, struggling to maintain composure while delivering the news of the unfolding dual tragedies.
During his report, Kovacik addressed studio anchors Colleen and Carolyn, stating, “You think about it ladies, as we deal with this day of dueling tragedies here in Chatsworth, we were just getting ready to come on air for the NBC 4 news at 7:00 tonight and we were there.” His voice cracked as he described the scene, noting, “Colleen and Carolyn, we are surrounded by this community…members of the media and colleagues from across Southern California, as well as the LAFD and the LAPD and members of the city all coming together tonight.” He concluded his segment with glassy eyes, saying, “In Chatsworth, I’m Robert Kovacik,” before handing back to the studio.
Prior to going live, Kovacik’s unease was already evident on air as uncertainty about the crash spread among reporters. He recounted seeing a colleague from ABC in tears and expressed the initial confusion: “We don’t know where the chopper is from. We don’t know if it even is a chopper. We don’t know if it is a news chopper.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass arrived at the scene and was observed embracing Kovacik, a moment that underscored the widespread grief among officials and the press.
Eliana Moreno was a familiar voice to audiences of both NBC4 and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52. Her aerial reports extensively covered a range of events, from wildfires to high-speed police pursuits, providing critical real-time information to the public. George Marciniw brought decades of flight experience to his role as pilot, having also served as a flight instructor in addition to his news-helicopter duties. According to NBC, the pair had logged hundreds of hours flying together as partners.
The NTSB has taken possession of video and audio recordings from the helicopter’s final moments, which investigators will meticulously examine for clues regarding the cause of the crash. The exact circumstances leading to the incident remain unresolved as the investigation progresses.
In the wake of the tragedy, NBC4 and Telemundo 52 issued a joint statement expressing their profound sorrow. “We are deeply saddened to share that a helicopter providing aerial news coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52 was involved in a fatal accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening,” the statement read. It continued, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who lost their lives.” The combined death toll from both separate fatal incidents in Chatsworth that evening, as reported, reached five. The community continues to mourn the profound losses from what began as routine news coverage but tragically became a news event itself.
